Sean Avery And Colin Campbell - New Rule Change

I remember growing up and when I was playing anything outside with my friends there was one major rule ... No making up rules as you go along. Not in Colin Campbell's game though, apparently he can just make up rules and "interpretations" as he sees fit, depending on who is affected.

Lets keep in mind the Simon / Pronger incident when reading this story! Here is what happened last night that is causing quite a stir in the NHL offices:



I am sure my interpretation of this maneuver by Sean Avery is going to be argued relentlessly. I think there is nothing wrong with what Avery is doing here. He is not in the crease, he is not coming into contact with Marty, he is doing his job and that is to distract and help his team score a goal. What difference would it make if Sean's back had been to Marty and he was doing those same movements trying to distract him? My other question is directed at Paul Martin who stands 2 feet away from Sean and does nothing for a good 10 seconds, and then he tries to give him a cross check that is ineffective.

Was anyone surprised to learn this today from NHL.com - NHL reacts quickly to Avery's antics, amends unsportsmanlike conduct rule

According to Marin Brodeur "I've played for 15 years in this league. I've been watching games for 33 years. I had never seen that in my life, I don't think that kind of behavior should be done in front of the net, but there is no rule for it." Well since Marty is not fond of it, don't worry, Colin will fix that for you sir.

The NHL moved quickly this morning by making an "on-the-fly rule interpretation." Seriously, that's what it says in the article ... along with this - "An unsportsmanlike conduct minor penalty will be interpreted and applied, effective immediately, to a situation when an offensive player positions himself facing the opposition goaltender and engages in actions such as waving his arms or stick in front of the goaltender's face, for the purpose of improperly interfering with and/or distracting the goaltender as opposed to positioning himself to try to make a play," Colin Campbell, the NHL director of hockey operations said in a statement.

"That's not something that anyone writing the rule book has anticipated, and I don't think that we view that as part of our game," said Carolina Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford, an NHL goalie for 13 seasons. "With that being said, Sean Avery didn't do anything to break any rules. "With every rule that is written, or how we try to change the game, somebody gets creative. Sean has gone beyond being a little bit creative on this one."

That is exactly what you get from Avery, a talented player always looking for ways to push the envelope. He rarely stops talking on the ice or the bench, whether it's to opponents, teammates, officials or anyone who will listen. Once again folks, Mr Campbell shows us how easy it is to re-write the rules for this great sport. I find it interesting that they filed this under unsportsmanlike conduct instead of interference since the "interpretation" of the movement is intended to interfere with the goaltenders job of keeping the puck out of the net.

I guess that was overlooked when they decided to make this "on-the-fly" rule change ... good job Colin Campbell ... thank you for making this sport "better." *insert sarcastic "yeah, Right" here!*